« In my village, unpretentious, I have a bad reputation. In my can, or when I remain silent, I am accused of ruining livers. I wasn't harming anyone, however, by having a siphoning level of alcohol, but good people don't like that…” »
Year after year, 8.6 proves that you can succeed in life – or in sales – despite a bad reputation. In 2024, in a French beer market at half mast (- 3.6%, according to the Nielsen firm), 8.6 experienced rare double-digit growth (+ 11%). All this despite this image of “street beer”, used for the sole purpose of finishing upside down.
For Dutch beer, it all started in France with a failed image in the big picture. “When we arrived in 1993, we had no budget for communication,” concedes Matthieu Ribeyron, France marketing director of Swinkels Family Brewers, which manages this golden egg beer. From this original lack of money, the 8.6 will link its destiny to two pillars. Firstly, it will only be consumers who will build its initial reputation, “without anyone being able to influence it”. Second, the 8.6 will immediately seek to stand out strongly from the competition.
Standing out, a mission a little too successful
“It arrived with a very strong alcohol content at a time when beer in France was confined to much lower levels,” recalls Johanna Volpert, associate professor of marketing at Kedge Business School Bordeaux. Another particularity at the time, its famous 50 cl can, far from the classic glass models. More volume and degrees than average, it was enough to give the 8.6 this reputation as a drink to hurt yourself.
Still due to lack of budget, the model was initially not sold in supermarkets. And because of its can, it cannot be served in bars and restaurants either. That leaves the wholesalers, convenience stores and others, who will definitely forge this image linked to the street.
Strong choices become consensual
Twenty years later, the 8.6 is struggling to completely get rid of these clichés, even if Matthieu Ribeyron assures him: “The image has evolved”. The biases of the 1990s have become democratized and no longer raise an eyebrow among the new generation of consumers. The 8.6 is now far from being the only binouze in a can, since the long metal cylinders represent 21% of the beer market share in France. The Dutch brand is now sold in certain bars (unthinkable in its early days), and is a hit in supermarkets. Still according to Nielsen, the 8.6 can is the 12th most purchased product in mass retail in 2024, all departments combined. Another 50 cl can – this time from the Heineken brand – appears in 8th position, further proof of the new consensus of this format.
The same goes for its degree of alcohol, overtaken by other behemoths. For example, count 11.6 degrees for the Maximator, even 12 for the Bière du Démon, both of which can be found in supermarkets. But beyond these ethanol Everests, “slightly strong beers, at 7 or 8 degrees, have become more popular with the rise of Triples or IPAs,” continues Matthieu Ribeyron.
-Other new products break the image of a beer “for big, heavy-handed people,” says Matthieu Ribeyron. 8.6 cherrywith cherry, launched at the beginning of 2024, is the best-selling alcohol innovation of the year, “and allows us to attract a female audience and further break our image,” explains the marketing director. Its alcohol content is slightly lower, at “only” 7.2%.
Street, rap, mainstream
A budget finally allocated to marketing also allows us to gradually take control of the brand's image. “Today, 8.6 is also associated with the world of tattoos, Metal music… It's still the street, but a more artistic street,” continues Johanna Volpert, who recognizes a significantly improved image despite clichés in the tough skin.
“We invested in street culture,” continues Matthieu Ribeyron, “without denying ourselves. This is how a brand becomes “cult”: by remaining faithful to its origins and its values, whatever the initial reputation.” For him, it is not the 8.6 but the entire street that has changed its image over the years. He draws an analogy with rap, another “street” phenomenon that appeared in the 1990s, “hyperdivisive and despised in its beginnings and which has become mainstream. »
A bad reputation, so what?
In the end, was this reputation such a big burden? 8.6 has always been a success in France, driven by solid growth from the start. Pierre-Louis Desprez, brand imagination expert at Kaos, sharpens the arguments: “Contrary to what all advertising experts want you to believe, a bad image has never been an obstacle to sales. Aldi, Redbull, McDonald's have fairly mediocre images but pocket billions. » The price remains the number 1 argument for 65% of French people, according to a Havas Commerce and CSA Research survey from 2024, particularly in this period of purchasing power crisis.
“Only a few very rare giants like Chanel, Rolex, Vitton have a very high-end image. Most brands do without it, and do very well,” continues Pierre-Louis Desprez. And in the specific case of the 8.6, “it's not bad to have a somewhat sulphurous reputation in alcohol, the environment lends itself well to it. »
Matthieu Ribeyron admits it: he puts up with a divisive reputation, far from the smooth Heineken or Kronenbourg. “One of the goals of marketing is to get people talking without the brand having to do anything. Today, 8.6 is divided between the consumer who doesn't like it and despises it, and the consumer who drinks it and loves it. The 'hater' and the 'lover'. So this creates discussion.” And, ultimately, free advertising. A moral that Brassens would not have denied: a reputation, however bad it may be, remains a reputation.
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